Full Tour: Electrify America Flagship Indoor Charging Hub! The Nicest Public EV Station In America
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 มี.ค. 2024
- Now this is an upgrade! Electrify America just opened up their new flagship charging hub with 20 DC Fast Chargers, indoor lounge space, and 24 hour security. Michael Rosenblatt, VP of Technology, joins Kyle on camera to discuss the new site, the reliability of existing sites, and the focus of EA going into the future. Big thanks to Octavio and Michael for making the trip out to join Kyle for this video!
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Michael asked me to relay that he would also like to thank the Technical Program Management team for making this site possible!
Please let us know in the comments if you would like a charging hub like this in your city, and where you are located ⚡
That’s right
We could use one in Reno, once you head east on I-80 there are no big urban cities until you reach Salt Lake. More importantly though I would like to see EA add more fast charging on the rural highways in any western States! Need more than just Tesla Superchargers on these highways.
Helll yes - ATX! Michael is so awesome! He really gave me more respect for EA. If he's the future of it, we are in great hands!
Be extra careful Michael! San Francisco has become a shit hole for crime and car break ins are more prevalent now.
Thanks Kyle. Can you arrange to spend a week with an EA servicing team, to show us all how they are tackling faulty chargers, servicing them and upgrading their networks? Thanks again.
I noticed no oil spots on the floor, a look of the future.
SO TRUE!
No tornadic venting, as ICE always brings
Right I’m sure it smells better than a parking garage full of ice cars too
Most EVs are only a few years old. Too new to already be leaking oil. Remember that EVs contain oil in the reduction gears, just the same as an ICE transmission, and they will eventually leak oil too.
@@ouch1011😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
I charge at this place all the time. It is never full; usually there are loads of spots empty, the most full I have seen is with just a couple stations free. One station was down yesterday and a couple techs were working on it. Glad to see it gets immediate attention!
Restrooms?
yes!
@@dennisschlieckau8723
They mention there is early in the video while they are still in the lounge@@dennisschlieckau8723
I wish every site got the priority that their flagship gets. Function over form.
Windscreen washer and washer fluid?
Hopefully not being too picky. . .
If this is a sneak peek into the future of EV urban charging, I'm very pleased! 90% of the time I charge my vehicle at home, but these sites are imperative for apartment dwellers and road trippers. Thank you for the tour Kyle and Michael!
How much does it cost to charge there, and does EA make a profit? Few apartment dwellers drive an EV even in urban areas with many public charging stations because EVs and public charging are too expensive and public charging is inconvenient. The convenience and low cost of charging at home are the best things about owning an EV. Public charging is the worst thing. It's not as bad as EV haters suggest, but it's still the worst thing. A half-hour charging stop on a five hour road trip is no big deal, but waiting so long to charge weekly, even a few times a week, would be. If I couldn't charge at home, I wouldn't drive an EV at this point.
A large charging station like this one in LA or Manhattan or along an interstate makes some sense, though at this point, it seems too large for my neck of the woods in the southeastern U.S. even along an interstate. I don't use public charging much, but I've only waited once to charge, at an EA station in Greenville, SC, and then I only waited a couple of minutes. A station like this one would be practically empty most of the time, and I wonder if EA can profit from it. Apparently, they don't make a profit now, and they're my least favorite network anyway. I've always had to call customer support to start charging at EA even with their app. Their money seems better invested in improving their existing network.
EVGo is my favorite network because of plug and go. Their stations often have only two plugs, but I've never waited for one. They also often provide only 50 kW. I drive a Bolt, so this limitation is not a problem for me, but it may explain why other EVs avoid them. If this one is no easier to use than every other EA station I've used, I'd try it once and never be back.
To be fair, EA says that they've fixed problems with their stations and app, but I haven't tested the claim yet.
We need to see this all across North America.
Not likely. Too expensive.
I’d be Happy with Canopies covering sites and nearby Restroom’s. Something like those European sites that have modular lounges with Bathrooms and Vending machines. Walking a half a mile through a Walmart parking lot is not convenient.
I can't see how a site like this ever pays for itself nevermind profits. Especially with a 24 /7 security guard. This was built as a showpiece and as a case study.
Even though I live in British Columbia, I will say that Chicago needs a flagship location. Based on what happened earlier this year. 🥶
@@jasonfournier Yeah. We all need a Porsche in the driveway too.
I loved Michael's comment about the Hummer EV club showing up from Yosemite at a low state of charge. That was funny 😊!
I have faith that ev charging in the US will get better. There are growing pains for every new technology, and this video is very encouraging. Thanks
They could install screens in the lounges which show the drivers the SoC and the charging power of the cars. Audi has done that on their charging hub in Nuremberg, Germany.
Or the lights on the chargers (or add a separate light on top that's easily visible) can tell you. Red for an error or issue with the charger, green for charging is occurring, orange for when the charging session is over.
Using the EA app is the best solution as it has all this information.
That’s actually a pretty cool idea
Yea they really should have this available as well.
More tech to keep running. EA needs to keep the chargers running first!
Very cool setup there. Also being inside, the dispensers will last longer out of the weather.
They need to put these in cold weather state's like Wisconsin, maybe add a franchise like dunkin donuts.
Perfect.
An adjacent partner like DD's that's open to the public would be great for both EA and the partner!
Yep, they should also partner with Dollar General to put a smaller version of these up all around rural areas.
I like the indoor safer and also I'll be surprised if you find an ice vehicle taking up a spot
👌
Oh, women…
NY desparately needs this! Our charge spot had all charge pods down; even the level 2! Brand new station with 4 spots was just activated at Safeway - 1/2 of them went inop. A trip from SF Bay area to Arizona regularly experience several pods down at charge locations. Lotta moaning and cursing among customers.
Good show! Let's see more of that type of installation. North Dallas suburbs need this badly.
Agree. The whole charging scene north of Dallas to Durant is atrocious.
@@amloganand that’s an understatement. Not that Durant is good, just necessary.
Michael is no doubt the right guy for the job, he understands 👍
I like what he said. “EV ownership for all drivers“ not that ‘only buy an EV if you own a home’ nonsense
Kyle, that EA stress test you proposed would be absolutely fantastic to see. I doubt EA will like it, though.
I’d be down for it
I live 35 miles from this site and can’t wait to try it out next time I’m in San Francisco. It’s a very convenient location. I’d love to do an Out of Spec meetup in San Francisco some day.
Nice. Damn Michael you are responsible for a lot of teams 😮. Good job 👍🏾
Seems like Mike was a good hire by the new CEO Rob Barossa.
Bought my ID.4 in January 2024 and have called EA Support on 3 occasions. They are very responsive and have solved issues on the phone. I'm all for being part of the solution.
Yeah that’s the problem. I’ve had to call tech support about 90% of the time I’ve tried to use EA. 99% of the time, other fast charging networks just work first try.
This is such a great idea for city's and larger communities. I really love the idea of doing the stress test on the network and getting views involved.
They really need more stations in Las Vegas with all the tourists. It would be a great place to highlight a EA Flagship facility to people visiting from all over the World
My 14 year old son and I just took an impromptu, spur of the moment trip from DC to Boston, mid-Feb 2024, in a Thrifty rental Kia Niro. We avoided toll roads from DC to Albany, to boot! It was a marathon drive (no preconditioning), in temps down to 15 degrees.
It was, as I promised him it would be, an adventure! (We live in Sacramento, California. I drive a Tesla Model 3 SR+.)
So many stories. So many chargers. So many bizarre, and a couple scary, encounters. Nearly all at EA.
And we lived to tell our story!
Next Sunday I will drive from Minneapolis to Ft Collins Colorado. Thirteen hours, 920 miles, two fill ups. No drama. No adventure. ICE for the win but I’m grateful for all of you early adopters who are part of the learning process.
My experience with EA has been solid. I just wish they were more available. But with Walmart starting their own network, and Hyundai starting theirs, I'm optimistic.
This is awesome. As happy as I am as a Mach-E owner to charge at Superchargers now, this is fantastic. Charged in Buffalo today at EA and had zero issues. Let's hope we really have turned the corner.
Absolutely would like one of these. Take a look at the I-95 corridor between Wilmington DE and Baltimore MD. There’s nothing north or south of I-95 so how about one of these off of I-95 on the DE/MD border.
Good start fixing the urban charge desert. Can they keep it up? There are lots of garages like that could be remodeled to provide similar setups. Hope it becomes a “thing” ! Good job EA, Thanks Kyle for spotlighting the good along with the bad
I love this! And look at the diversity of cars!!
LA desperatly needs this. put 60 chargers, barely any chargers now
It's nice to see Aunt Francine spirit is rubbing off on Kyle :) Let's find solution for the charging problems. Also big shout out to Michael - he seems like a great guy that cares about what he is doing!!
OOS team... Thanks for the EA Flagship video. I found myself smiling and grateful for a positive video on EA. THERE IS HOPE!
Looks very nice👍Well done E.A.👏
This is a great idea for large urban cities, especially those that don't have open parking lots to deploy at (looking at you Manhattan). EV's are also great for cities as the city driving range takes you farther (slower driving).
lol ah yes because cities that are so overpopulated that they don’t have parking space totally has room for an entire building dedicated to being a parking lot.
@@brandonl8039 lol ah yes because Brandon tells us all this idea sucks, we should shut it down immediately and forget it ever existed!
@@joemcdonough7509 the idea doesn’t suck, heralding it as some kind of savior to the woes of an overcrowded urban city like manhattan is the part that sucks and is moronic.
@@brandonl8039Funny I don't see this being a savior from Victor's comments. He just says it's a great idea.
@@joemcdonough7509a great idea in the context of an overpopulated dense urban environment. Which again it is absolutely NOT a good idea in that context.
Love seeing the enthusiasm and knowledge beaming out of Michael. Definitely seems like the perfect guy for the job.
Hi Kyle, that looks like such a great location and you're right security is key. It's also clean and comfortable. Another thing I like is that the charging spots are not so tight, there appears to be plenty of room. So glad he has a Chademo spot, not just for Nissan, but for my Mitsubishi brothers and sisters too. If I lived in that urban environment I would be bringing mine in constantly because I want to use gas as little as possible with it. I hope Ubisoft San Francisco adds this to the Watch Dogs 2 map it would be so cool. Congrats to EA and I hope they put something like this in Tampa.
When an EA executive says "we know the network's not perfect, we own that", I think it would be constructive to question their past failures to communicate during mass outage events that have left drivers stranded. Network uptime is one half of what is needed to increase driver confidence, the other half is communication. Drivers need to know that a charging site is operational before they get there, and EA has a history of going into hiding when chargers go down. A transparency increasing followup question could have inspired confidence in their network and by extension EV ownership in the US as a whole.
That’s true but I don’t think it’s fair to pin the explanation of the past failures on the new guy who just started and is working hard to improve the situation going forward.
I like the new direction on complaining vs solutions. Thats how this going to work. Great video.
Can't possibly be better than the Porsche ones you visited in Germany.
It’s a cool idea. I’m surprised I didn’t see window cleaning stuff… it’s something I miss from when I pumped gas.
I wonder if the security guards could get a tips-only side hustle by offering to clean windows?
Really, they should just have some buckets and squeegees for the car owners.
I keep a window cleaning brush and a spray bottle of cleaner in my car just for that use case.
@@j4k3br4k3 me too… but I’d rather not have to, and when even this type of location doesn’t have it, it makes me realize your setup is going to become the new normal. :/
This is great! I’d love to see something like this in Ann Arbor! Lots of apartments, lots of EVs, not great fast charging infrastructure. I’d visit it. Heck, I’d apply to work there!
It’s San Fran- probably a happy ending massage joint right next door. Who needs those lounges 🤷♂️
Congrats EA, well done.
It would be cool to see a video on a tech working on a broken station. What all is involved in diagnosing a broken station and why things inside break. How long it takes to fix it or make a full upgrade one.
Is this place, the first EV tourist site. I plan to visit it and I don't have an EV yet. It was like an EV car show in there during your visit. The EV transition takes another big step along the this new EV development regime.
Two thumbs up to EA for this important addition to EV acceptance .
We visited the site and it was awesome! Hope this improvement continues into the future. Thank you for highlighting the improvement.
we need this badly in New York and New Jersey area. I would rent out these lounge rooms to Starbucks or Dunkin people to offset the cost
Dear Kyle, First, let me thank you and the whole team for doing an excellent job. I’m an EV driver who has driven more than 10K miles in Europe and the US. However, my drives in the US has always been limited to Teslas. For only one reason. ONLY Electrify America does not accept international credit cards, and I cannot risk a trip without using EA on a CCS vehicle. All others, including small companies accept all credit cards worldwide. Only EA does not. Just so you know.
I just started using Electrify America and so far I have had zero problems. I'm hopeful this type of an experience continues.
Amazing location and some great amenities. Please bring this to large cities throughout North America not just USA (Toronto could use some EA upgrades).
Need this ASAP in San Diego
Very nice. Now we need to address charging deserts in small to mid sized cities (100k-500k population).
Funny. The first thing I thought of was fumes in an enclosed area. Dooh!
Nope, don't need much ventilation for this one!
@@bikeaddictbp 😄
@@bikeaddictbpjust to keep the electrical area cool!
I would appreciate them a lot more as a customer if they put these in the downtowns of a lot of the major US cities especially Chicago, Nashville, and Atlanta. Those would all be particularly useful to me.
Just charged there a few weeks ago. It is a great location.
what a beautiful comfortable station, love the content and happy to see upgrades/reliability taking place to the charging stations
I think having a dedicated week a few times a year where everyone goes out and just hammers the network and documents issues is a great idea. So many times that EA is blind to their own issues, and it would be really helpful. Out of Spec can be to charging what The Joint Commission is to the medical field.
I think this is a brilliant idea. Not only do people feel safer indoors but, if it's raining or snowing, they wouldn't have any issue plugging in or anything. I have a Tesla and honestly, I kinda wish this is how Tesla was doing things with their sites.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Kyle has to be the hardest working TH-camr out there and yet another informative video. There has to be a ton of EVers that don't know about Kyle and OoS because he'd have well over a million subscribers. Keep up the great work Kyle and crew!
This needs to be introduced across all of America, including Tesla charging stations like this!!
Love it! Transparency is greatly appreciated. Seeing some improvements lately. Hopefully, this trend continues.
NYC needs this.
There's the Gravity Charging Station at 401-471 W. 42nd Street
Thank You for supporting Electric Vehicles and for All that you are doing for our Planet Earth.... Peace.. Shalom.. Salam.. Namaste 🙏🏻 😊 🌈 ✌ ☮ ❤
Keep it up with the GOOD work, Get the message out there!
You do a Great Job of not only growing your self but being aware of that things need to be brought to the growth of this new adventure! Thanks to your out of Spec team!
EA has been the butt of jokes about out of service EV infrastructure but I've had great luck and really appreciated them back and forth across America
Thanks, Kyle. I hope this inspires the industry. Can't wait for the Santa Barbara flagship location!
This looks perfect they need these everywhere. No idiots bothering you while you charge. Chargers that work great with no cut charging cables. Great video.
Honestly one of the best videos I've seen from Out of Spec - and that's saying a lot. It's so nice to see these innovative sites come on line. Michael is a good guy as well. Thanks for doing this Kyle!
Downtown Vancouver,BC Canada needs this. EV market share is over 20%. Build this here EA!
This place looks amazing and for sure gives the urban EV drivers a sense of security. Was wondering if they have a back should there be some sort of power failure in the area?
It's about time, EA! Hopefully there will be more of these to come SOON!!
Great Interview!
Nobody better to do a cross-country charging trip test together with than Tom Moloughney. Have a fun trip, Kyle.
Excellent video. Great to expand into the charging network and future
I love this, hopefully this starts a new line of charging stations and sites.
Great video and a great EA charging site. I hope that EA and other charging networks are able to partner with food vendors that are local to their site locations. Featuring local food vendors. Such as small chain coffee shops, regional food etc. Sort of copying the models of gas station, but with an emphasis on small local businesses. A win-win-win for EV owners, small business and the charging networks.
Premium experience. Great video too. Thx. I enjoyed watching.
Awesome video Kyle!
I think this is my favorite Out of Spec video ever! Only possible improvement would be if we got to see more of the behind the scenes equipment. I hope to visit SF in June and see this station, maybe also visit the Magic Dock station in Scott’s Valley. I live in Los Angeles so I an super excited to hear about the plans for Santa Barbara and San Diego, I’ll definitely be using both of those stations. There’s probably enough demand here in the Los Angeles area for 2 or 3 (or 4) of these flagship stations, though I have home charging so not important for me personally. Hmm, Las Vegas needs this also, the EA stations there are always full.
Tell them to put MORE of it in the Great State Of Texas, especially in the Best City To Live In - AUSTIN, TEXAS.
I am so glad to finally see this. Ionna is going to have to work pretty hard to match this experience.
Looks good, but surely the future is having a ton of level 2 chargers on every street, level 3 should be mainly for road trippers.
Drool. Want. Every motorway service station and at strategic positions on A roads. I think for the middle of the city they should also offer type 2 charging though.
I think this is an awesome way to enjoy EV traveling.
Great job Kyle modifying the EV charging tone a bit. The slightly more positive attitude will help them get there. And also not give the nay-sayers any more material to use against us. Thanks!
Feel like winter 2023/2024 was the nadir in super-charging and things will improve: opening up of Tesla NACS network, beginning of IONNA, and, as shown here, EA recognizing its issues and getting its act together.
It was going to improve without those Nevi $ finally going out Mercedes network rivian network EVGO with flying J increasing from 4 to minimum 6 per location.
You have been putting in the miles Kyle, thanks for the great content -
I believe EV skeptics and naysayers are just making noise about slow EV adoption, but stuff like this gives me hope that the future of EVs are bright. I’m in the power industry and deal with 13.8kv and 34.5kv transformers and I can easily relate to this.
Yeah, a more positive discussion and what is working and improving. We got into EVs just because of you and your original Motoring channel, so would like to see the good about charging on long trips. We all know Tesla is the best, channels like Mach-e vlog make it a point to tell views they have not been stranded and have always gotten to where they are going, maybe with a delay. This was a great positive video, more of this.
Nice video again Kyle!
Seattle needs something like this for sure, especially with NACS adoption on the way
Michael is such a nice guy - seems like the right guy for the job. Nice work showing this new-type station.
This would be a fantastic idea for here in Chicago! There's a lot of vacant lots and buildings around in the city and having a site with 20+ stalls would help with the demand for fast charging around Chicago! Hope EA or even Tesla would build an urban indoor charging site.
Really important that ev drivers are in a position at Electrify America to make a difference.
Thank you Kyle for being positive and working towards solutions. Chargepoint and EA seem to be getting it right.
Michael's movement makes him look like an NPC lmfao
I did a couple of trips up to Lake Tahoe and San Luis Obispo last summer, and I found EA chargers to be the reliable ones I saw. It was the EVGo and Chargepoint ones that were broken, wouldn't charge at high rate. One vote for a hub in Santa Cruz. A lot of EV drivers out here on the coast
As a new Lightning owner I’m really looking forward to your road trip. I’m sure I’ll learn a thing or two.
Nice catch at 5:40 not running the lady over coming out from behind the truck. Nice SA, and good to drive slow with pedestrians around.
Nicely done. I only wish Electrify America would fix the major reliability issues all over the country. Just experienced it first hand in Las Vegas in a rental Polestar 2: 1/4 chargers out of order. One worked at 50-ish kWh. Two had 6-7 cars queued up. Decided to return the rental uncharged and eat the $25 fee Hertz charges for that.
Been driving a Taycan since 2021 and Electrify America has gotten so much worse over time. One of the reasons I am now considering trading the Taycan in for a Tesla.
Please build this in all major cities in US. NYC, Boston, Chicago, Atlanta, Seattle, LA, Miami etc.
Great video, fantastic idea for EV charging. I have one EA charging station in Naples, Florida which currently 3 of 4 CCS chargers are out of service.